Table of contents:
- Gastric cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer can be the cause of bloody bowel movements
- Not all causes of bloody bowel movements are cancer
- Tips to reduce the risk of bloody bowel movements
The cause of bloody CHAPTER is not just hemorrhoids, aka hemorrhoids. Blood in the stool that you can see during bowel movements could be a sign of cancer in one of the organs of the digestive tract.
Gastric cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer can be the cause of bloody bowel movements
Bloody bowel movements are a common symptom of cancer of the digestive tract, especially when accompanied by rapid weight loss, fever, anemia and swollen lymph nodes around the cervical spine.
You also need to pay attention to the appearance of the feces. If your bowel movements are watery diarrhea with fresh blood, this may be a sign of stomach cancer. If the color of the blood is dark red and slightly blackish, colon cancer is the cause of your bloody bowel movements. Conversely, if you have bowel movements that are accompanied by blood and mucus, and also feel like a foreign object is blocking the rectum (fecal drainage), this may be a sign of rectal cancer.
People aged 50 years and over are the group of people most at risk of developing cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
Not all causes of bloody bowel movements are cancer
Apart from cancer, some of the conditions below can also cause bloody stools:
- Stomach ulcers due to H. Pylori bacterial infection, or from taking NSAID pain medications for too long.
- Enlarged veins in the esophagus. When these blood vessels burst, profuse bleeding can occur.
- Hemorrhoids aka hemorrhoids, which occur due to damaged veins in the anus and rectum. Hemorrhoids are often experienced in people who have difficulty defecating.
- Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract due to bacterial infection, for example Shigella and E. coli, or even protozoa like Entamoeba histolytica. These microscopic creatures produce toxins which then damage the walls of the digestive tract. As a result, you can experience foul smelling diarrhea accompanied by blood and mucus.
Tips to reduce the risk of bloody bowel movements
Here are some tips that you can do to reduce the risk of having bloody bowel movements, including:
- Try to eat lots of vegetables (especially green and yellow vegetables), fruits, and whole grains that are rich in fiber. Fiber can help prevent and relieve constipation because it can help make it easier for the intestines to clean up the debris that is difficult to pass.
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Accustomed to drinking alcohol can increase the risk of colon cancer by 2-3 times, while smoking increases the risk of stomach cancer.
- Eat lots of sea fish because it can reduce the risk of colon cancer and rectal cancer.
- Increase the consumption of foods high in folic acid and do not eat too much animal fat. especially those from red meat.
- Keep your food and hands clean. Wash your hands before and after eating. Also keep your drinking water and sanitation clean. Poor sanitation can increase the risk of getting a bacterial infection. Consumption of dirty drinking water can also increase the risk of infection E. coli.